Languages as medium of instruction at Hue University, Vietnam
From a very "open conversation" (Blommaert & Jie. 2010: 39) with Ms. Dinh Thi Huong Giang (Master graduate from UPLB), who has been working for Hue Univerity since 2008 as a the lecturer of the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism- Hue Univeristy- Vietnam on April 22, 2012, this research tries to explore:
What is the language as medium of instruction at Hue University?- How has the lecturer’ pedagogical practice been influenced by the language policy of Hue University?
- How has the lecturer responded to the official policies in their own classrooms at Hue University? And
- How can Hue University adjust their language policy to meet the demand of new education and training trends of Vietnam and of the world nowadays?
Based on my interaction with Ms. Huong Giang in our friendly dialogue, it can be inferred that Veitanmese language is curently used as the medium of instruction at Hue University. She however has the two different kinds of medium of instruction: Vietnamese and English languages. It is one of the reasons why I choose her as my interlocutor. For her students major in Hospitality and Tourism, Vietnamese is the medium of instruction while English is used for the major Tourism and Leisure Management. It is an international bachelor program co-operated between Hue University and university of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria.
Based on her opinion, I realise that the Vietnamese language policy helps achieve her target teaching objectives on Vietnamese students because they seem not to have any language barriers in acquiring the lectures. In other words, they enjoy their lectures taught in Vietnamese language. It can be inferred that Vietnamese is a powerful tool to be used for teaching in Vietnam in general and at Hue University in particular. Or in terms of education, Vietnamese is used in the first place.This official language is also a challenge for the lecturers because there are some terminologies which do not have their equipvalences in Vietnamese. So, the lectures have no choice in using English version. This leads to the isssue that students have to learn E.S.P (English for specific purposes) to support their major knowledge. From the perspective of a language policy researcher, I think this matter also has a good impact on the lecturers because they have to improve their English proficiency to serve their teaching objectives. Moreover, tourism is a kind of job that requires foreign languages especially English, as Ms. Giang’s reflection, the teacher should encourage her students to reach a certain English proficiency level to serve their future career. Ms. Huong Giang also states that Hue University recently has some language policy adjustments to meet the education and training demands in the global and modern age under the impact of the spread of English. They have the bachelor degree coperated with Krems University so that their students have their international degree recognition. It means that the lecturers also have to reach a certain English proficiency to take charge in this training program. It seems that all of the lecturers who are incharge of this program have their doctoral or master degrees done abroad. At the same time, the students who apply for this major must have the certificate of IELTS 5.5 before they graduate. Compared to other major students, they have higher English competence.Thus, English as language of instruction in the classroom is not a barrier to reach their target knowledge. Ms Giang, who is assigned to teach P.R (Public Relations), P.M (Project Management) and Economical Analysis, shows her experience in being aware of her students’ reaction in percieving her lectures. Based on their eye contacts, she can recognise if they can follow the lesson or not. In some special situations or complex problems that can not be well interpreted in English, she tends to shift into Vietnamese. With this flexible way of teaching, I think she is rather successful in “Krems program” as a lecturer because she knows how to choose the “appropriate norms in class” (Tupas. 2010: 577) although “the appropriate norms are not always the right ones and the right ones are not always appropriate.” (Tupas. 2010: 577)
Further more, the interview releases me that Hue University will deploy a trial program inwhich English is used as a medium of instruction of some majors as econimics, information and technology hopistiality and tourism, mathematics and physics in 2015. It can be infered that Hue Univerisity becomes developed, global, and modern in terms of language policy and training. Except for those who used to study abroad, I do not think that all of other teachers who give lectures on these majors are good at English. So, this new 2015- language policy is really a chance and a challenge for them in their teaching life. On the one hand, it is the chance for them not only to improve their English competence but to work in the new global and intergrated enviroment as well. On the other hand, if their English proficiency can not be improved they might lose their promotion or even lose their jobs.
In short, the Vietnamese language is the official language at Hue Univeristy while English is used as medium of instruction of some programs co-operated between Hue University and other foreign ones. This policy can facilitate the lecturers to reach their students in knwoledge acquisition. They seem not to be in trouble with communication barriers in language as medium of instruction. The lecturers have many advantages in giving their lectures. In the new integrated enviroment, however, English which is the language of instruction is more challenged in the classrooms for both teachers and students. How to improve the English skills is a big questions for both the Vietnamese teachers and students. With the new policy by 2015, Hue Univeristy language policy makers really intervene the teaching and studying lives of lectures and students at this university.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
My sincere and special thanks go to Ms. Dinh Thi Huong Giang- Department of Hospitality and Tourism, Hue University, Vietnam for her time, experience and participation in the open conversation with me on the field of language policy to fulfill my research purposes .
Bibliography
Blommaert, J. and Jie. D. (2010). Ethnographic fieldwork: a beginner’s guide. Bristol, Tonawanda & Ontario: Multilingual Matters(pp37- 52).
In their own opnion, the interview should not be so formal. It shuold be an open and friendly dialogue so that it will not make the interviewee nervous or stress. At the same time, the confortable interview enviroment can help the researcher get more data than she/e exxpects. Moreover, the role of the inteviwer also plays an important part in the conversation. The interviewer should not cause an impact so that the interviewee will answer the questions in accordance with what the interviewer prefers. It can be seen as a good guideline for beginer researcher in the field of interviewing.
In their own opnion, the interview should not be so formal. It shuold be an open and friendly dialogue so that it will not make the interviewee nervous or stress. At the same time, the confortable interview enviroment can help the researcher get more data than she/e exxpects. Moreover, the role of the inteviwer also plays an important part in the conversation. The interviewer should not cause an impact so that the interviewee will answer the questions in accordance with what the interviewer prefers. It can be seen as a good guideline for beginer researcher in the field of interviewing.
Tupas, T. R. F. (2010). Which norms in everyday practice - and why? In A. Kirkpatrick (Ed.). The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes (pp. 567 – 579). New York and London: Routledge.
Tupas argues that "the appropriate norms are not always the rights ones, and... the rights ones are not always appropriate." According to him, the teachers or lecturers have to be sensitive or aware of their classroom practive so that they can choose the suitable norms for their students. It is an art and requires the teachers' experience in the field of ELT especially in EFL. The teaching method which is successful or not much depends on how flexible the teacher is in his/er classroom.